Give the gift of music! I teach in a Chicago Public School. Our music program is growing at an amazing rate; however, we don't have the resources for new instruments. I have 260 students in the program and only 110 functioning instruments. Much of our inventory is 30+ years old and beyond repair.
My students are amazing!
They come into High School with no musical training (as our feeder schools do not offer music) and in four years or less, many of them are in the position to continue playing at the collegiate level. They welcome new challenges and work as hard as they can to help keep our program afloat. Almost everybody shares instruments which makes taking them home to practice very challenging. I have as many as five students sharing the same instrument! That is unfair and I wish I could do more for these amazing children. This is why I'm here!
My Project
My percussionists are a very hard working bunch. They do so very much with so very little. We currently only own two functioning mallet percussion instruments (orchestra bells and a very, very old xylophone) and a damaged vibraphone that we get by with. Adding a new marimba to our arsenal will allow us to play a greater array of concert band music and begin to develop a percussion ensemble!
Several of my percussionists have shown a desire to continue their music education at the collegiate level. The creation of a percussion ensemble will help them sharpen their skills and be better prepared for music at the post-secondary level.
I can't tell you why this project is more important than others because each teacher posting here thinks their project is the most important (and rightfully so).
I can tell you why this is important to me.
I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for being in band since I was 10. I learned every one of life's lessons (teamwork, responsibility, leadership and many others) as a member of a variety of musical ensembles growing up. All I want is to give my students the same experiences I had!
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